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I feel myself sliding down another slippery slope!  A while back I 
picked up 12 great old casting boxes - cope and drag boxes that had 
been used to cast aluminum. These are commercially made ones that 
have hinges that open up.

I plan to cast some things  - brass first then bronze and who knows 
maybe iron after that.  This will be a long term project, I may not 
even get to the brass stage until next summer or so, but I am a long 
term kind of guy.  I'll be picking up a few books on how to make a 
very small tome furnace from Lindsay books.

I have been thinking about what to cast.  I would rather not make a 
huge part to start with.  I do have a metalworking lathe but no way 
to do any milling and would like to do as much as possible by hand.

If you had the opportunity, what tool would you cast? Is there a tool 
you always wished someone would make?  Something you would have 
changed about one you love?  I would rather not make a huge part to 
start with.  A small rabbit plane, something similar to a 95 like AMT 
did years ago, a mini plow plane, a half size 71, a little different 
271?

Even though it will be a ways off, I would like to begin looking for 
that tool to use as inspiration and begin whittling, carving, and 
making the pattern.  My grandfather was a pattern maker and I feel 
drawn to do that too.

Give me your thoughts!

Thanks!

Dave Strommen
Northern Indiana